In June of 1981, while his band's East Side Story was receiving critical buzz comparing them to the Beatles, Squeeze 's Glenn Tilbrook provided Smash Hits with a list of his all time Top 10. Yes, there is a Beatles track there, but there are also quite a few surprises.
XTC's Colin Moulding reveals some of his own psychedelic ( and glittery) influences in the top 10 list he provided Smash Hits for the January 22, 1981 issue. At the time "Sgt Rock" was leaping up the UK charts from #54 to #34 where it would soon meet a pack of posthumous John Lennon singles. (There were four in the UK Top 40).
Kate Bush had just released a holiday single, the UK#29 "December Will Be Magic Again", when she agreed to provide Smash Hits with an eclectic list of her all Time Top 10 albums in late November, 1980.
1.Frank Zappa: Overnite Sensation -"Montana"was the first Zappa track I ever heard and it's stuck as a firm favourite.
2. A.L. Lloyd and Ewan MacColl : Blow Boys Blow - I was brought up with this album.
3. The Eagles: One of These Nights - I played it to death when studying with Lindsay Kemp and it reminds me of him.
4. David Bowie Young Americans - It reminds me of 1976, the drought summer and open windows.
5. The Beatles Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - Because it's an album of excellent songs.
6. Eberhard Weber Fluid Rustle - It's like having your brain massaged.
7. Captain Beefheart Blue Jeans and Moonbeams - This is the Beefheart album where he writes love songs like nobody else.
8. Stevie Wonder The Secret Life of Plants - Because it's a modern symphony with a high emotional content.
9. Pink Floyd The Wall - Because it reminds me of last Christmas and open fires and I wish I'd written it.
10. The TV National Iranian Chamber Orchestra Treasures of the Baroque Era - Because it allows my mind to sit down and go "aah". I listen to it when doing paperwork. In fact while writing this list!
The November 13, 1980 issue of Smash Hits featured an All Time Top Ten list from Pete Wylie of Wah! Heat. The band's new single, the cold war anthem "Seven Minutes To Midnight", had just entered the independent charts at #3. Alan Lewis of Sounds described the single as " a force nine gale of jangly, trebly guitar and anguished vocal as Pete Wylie and company rip through a performance which is so intense as to be physically exhausting (and I'm talking about the listener!) A great record! Talk about totally wired.."
Pete's list has some huge surprises in it for those who may have never followed Frank Sinatra's career down the alleyways of punk rock.
At the end of August, 1980, as The Beat's debut album was selling its way to Gold Record status, teenage toaster Ranking Roger provided Smash Hits with his all time top 10 favorite songs. The list includes The Sex Pistols, two songs by The Clash, Kraftwerk , The Specials and features four reggae artists. Militant Barry's "Pistol Boy" is about Sid Vicious and the murder of Nancy Spungen.
In August of 1980 Echo and the Bunnymen frontman Ian McCulloch presented Smash Hits with his Top 10 all time favorite songs. It's clear he's a student of all things alt rock, though the Kingston Trio tune is an unpredictable choice.
The Bunnymen's debut album Crocodiles was on its way to peaking at UK#17, thanks to songs like "Pride" which essentially berates friends and family members who didn't believe in him.
In March of 1980 Ultravox frontman turned solo artist John Foxx gave Smash Hits an all time Top Ten list as "No One Driving", the second single from his debut album Metamatic, began climbing the UK charts to #32.
With "Maybe Tomorrow", a Sounds Magazine "Single of the Week" in the UK Top 40, The Chords were the next big thing in the mod revivalist scene when Chris Pope gave Smash Hits his all time top 10 list. It's chock full of three minute classics and includes shout outs to The Jam, Secret Affair, The Who, The Kinks and even Eddie + The Hot Rods. Pope reveals his favorite Beatles album is Revolver. The Chords debut album would feature a cover of "She Said, She Said".
